Monroe, asked about a half-dozen tepid performances in a row, during which he has averaged 11 points and the Pistons have lost four of their last five games, responded that he's doing "what I can when I can," and that he thought only one of those games was particularly bad, a clear reference to last week's 4-of-17 shooting night in Dallas.

"I'm just not in the position that I'm normally in to be successful," Monroe said.

It was a comment with its own resounding thud and the center seemed to know it. Asked what he meant, he shifted the discussion to his positioning in games when he rebounds well, which he certainly didn't against Noah, whose 30-point, 23-rebound, six-assist virtuoso doomed the Pistons.

But Monroe didn't have a lot of chances to do much about it either, limited to 25 minutes of playing time, and prompting a question to head coach Lawrence Frank about whether he is concerned with his third-year center's recent slide.

"I just think after the game, we'll evaluate and look at it," Frank said. "Especially when you're playing a high-level team like Chicago, we need everyone to do their part, and we'll just keep on working to get there."

Regardless whether there really was some discord between center and coach, it wasn't exactly a resounding vote of confidence either way.

The Pistons (6-15) lost two of three games on a homestand they valued, and the frustration is mounting after they slipped to 5-5 at home.

They lost to the Bulls and passed the season's quarter-pole on the same night they drew a season-high 17,142 to The Palace of Auburn Hills, with many of the extras dressed in Chicago red.

For most of the first half, the Pistons had the interlopers seeing red. They built a 53-36 second-quarter lead, but the Bulls finished the half on a 14-2 run to draw within five at halftime.

The Bulls (10-8) pulled away in a 28-19 third quarter filled with layups and dunks.

"We were trading blows but they kept on delivering more body blows than we could," Frank said.

And the Pistons were left to ponder their seventh loss in which they blew a double-digit lead.

"As it keeps going and the games keep happening like this, it's going to continue to get more mental, yes," Tayshaun Prince said of the Pistons' regularly squandered opportunities. "I think at the beginning, I would've said no, but as you continue to be in the same situation, the same situation, it definitely starts to get mental."

The Bulls had 58 points in the paint, most against the Pistons this season, and their 23 second-chance points were second-most against the Pistons. Of their 13 offensive rebounds, Noah had 10.

Regardless which center the Pistons threw at Noah, Monroe or Andre Drummond, it didn't stem his production.

Frank said Noah's "flat-out effort is great."

"Noah gets 30 and 23 with no plays run for him, you know?" Frank said.

Monroe was left to lament the Pistons' lack of interior defense and 41-28 rebounding disadvantage. Noah had five fewer rebounds than the Pistons' entire roster.